West Virginia Public Broadcasting Tries to Stave Off Budget Ax

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ne...lic-broadcasting-tries-stave-budget-ax/163976

Some outlets are reporting staff cuts here to resolve budget issues but This link is showing the GM of WVPB having to explain to a state congress over its budget and its existence.

It was noncommercial media’s version of “Defending Your Life” as Scott Finn, general manager of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, told the state's House Finance Committee this week that if the legislature zeroes out funding to WVPB, as proposed, it could be the first state to ever lose its public broadcasting network, radio and TV. "That's a first that you might not want to have," he said.

The current proposal by the governor is to eliminate the $4.6 million in state funding that represents about 45% of WVPB's total budget. Finn said that would also mean losing various matching federal grants.

In his presentation to the committee, Finn said that funding cut, if it meant not enough money to stay on the air, could also mean FCC fines and eventually losing their station licenses.

"If you have a house and you abandon that house and it burns down, you lose the value of the house," he told the finance committee in a presentation. "The state of West Virginia has built this house over the last 50 years. We ask that you don't burn it down."

Among the threatened offerings is popular NPR music program, Mountain Stage, which is produced by WVPB. Finn says the show currently has half a million online viewers and is picked up by 200 radio stations. Among the budget line items in the crosshairs is paying the musicians that perform on the show, he pointed out, as well as other expenses.

He did say he would prioritize preserving that show—"I will work to make sure it is protected first"—saying the show produces a million dollars in direct spending for the state.

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What the articles don't say is that the state is facing a $300 million budget shortfall. The governor has proposed some tax increases to make up for the loss, but the legislature is opposed to raising taxes. So the alternative is cuts to state programs.

Education, roads, public safety all need to be prioritized over so called public broadcasting.

umfan said:

Education, roads, public safety all need to be prioritized over so called public broadcasting.

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Why can't the richest nation in the world do all four?

TheBigA said:

Why can't the richest nation in the world do all four?

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It can, but any expenditures seen as favorable to liberal philosophy or goals are a no-go in today's political climate.

CTListener said:

It can, but any expenditures seen as favorable to liberal philosophy or goals are a no-go in today's political climate.

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Classical music and children's TV have no political philosophy.

The article points out that the station produces the nationally syndicated Mountain Stage bluegrass show.

And in the case of West Virginia, the governor is a Democrat. So that's not the issue.

In my radio experience I went from on air and programming to sales and then management. I've been lucky to have seen radio from both sides of the desk, so to speak. It has offered me a perspective not many in commercial radio get to enjoy.

Radio is like two twins with opposite personalities. Put them in a small room together and then watch the fireworks. Both sides see their success hampered by the other but in reality their success is because of the other. Great radio happens because of great programming. Great sales figures happen because of great sales people. Programming cannot succeed without a successful sales department and vice versa. In other words programming and sales are the chicken and the egg. You cannot separate them. In my eyes they are equal and cannot exist without the other.

In commercial radio we tend to see sales people reach the management chair but typically do not see the programming side reach the management chair. As a result, most commercial radio stations tend to side a bit more with sales than programming. To put this as gently as possible, commercial radio tends to view programming as a tool that makes sales easier. I tend to see programming as the reason you have something to sell.

In non-commercial radio management is much more likely to have a diploma on the wall. Many in management have a more extensive background in programming than their commercial radio counterpart. Because of this, programming has the advantage over sales where the opposite is generally true in commercial radio. I'm not trying to bash anyone here but simply to point out a typical scenario. It is the programming that manages to get listeners to kick in their dollars.

Commercial radio comes from the standpoint that if I don't got out there and ask for the dollar and give them a good reason to do so, you have nothing. Public radio enjoys, in many cases, a little bit of a cushion in the form of an educational institution or other entity that will kick in a little cash if it is needed to keep the venture going.

In Public Radio this bit of funding potential eases the pressure a bit and then humanity takes over and we get 'used to expecting it'. It's when we count on something that we tend to find ourselves in a panic. We tend not to think so much about the day the unexpected happens. If anything, it might be wise for Public Radio to not count on dollars unless self-generated as commercial radio does. Sure, take dollars where you can but try to budget yourself as those dollars being the icing on the cake. Public Radio has a strong product that is very capable of self sustaining.

Even with that said, I'm not blaming Public Radio for being where it is. I know myself well enough I'd be in the very shoes West Virginia Public Radio finds itself. That's a bad spot to be in and really unfair in many respects. They have worked hard to build what they have. It would seem much more reasonable to taper off government funding a small bit per year, giving them time to find, cultivate and replace those dollars. The state has a bit of responsibility to the listeners in that the listeners, businesses and other non-profits have contributed their dollars to get the programming that is partly funded by the state. And the state has an obligation to live within it's budget.

The light at the end of the tunnel is when all is said and done, it is usually not quite as dire as first thought. So, perhaps it won't be. If I was the GM I'd get the sales side of the building uncovering every stone looking for dollars to replace the state's percentage and I'd be begging the state to taper off gradually. 45% of your budget is way too much to come from one source because every source will dry up at some point...not a question of if but when. When you act like it is not there, you tend to find those dollars to replace it over time, likely several years in this case.

b-turner said:

In Public Radio this bit of funding potential eases the pressure a bit and then humanity takes over and we get 'used to expecting it'.

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I agree, and the exact same thing is happening in Kentucky and other states, so it shouldn't be a surprise.

One thing I wondered is if there's a problem for state employees doing sponsorship sales. Do states need to provide guidelines for their employees who do this kind of thing? I took a look at the Mountain Stage website, and there doesn't appear to be a show title sponsor. They have GoogleAds on the site, but nothing else. Basic title sponsorship for a non-commercial show is an easy thing to do.

http://current.org/2017/04/legislat...ts-1m-from-west-virginia-public-broadcasting/

The West Virginia legislature passed a budget bill Sunday that would reduce the state’s subsidy for West Virginia Public Broadcasting by $1 million, stepping back from a Senate proposal to completely zero-out support for WVPB.

The bill, which sets spending levels for the entire state government, doesn’t resolve the debate over funding to public broadcasting for next year, but opens the next phase of deliberations. Governor Jim Justice, who initially proposed to eliminate WVPB’s $4.6 million subsidy, has said he prefers to maintain the funding for the time being. The bill now awaits Justice’s signature.

That means “all funding levels are still on the table,” according to Scott Finn, WVPB CEO, who posted an update of the funding situation on the station’s website Sunday afternoon. Gov. Justice called for full funding of WVPB as part of a restructuring plan that would transfer WVPB’s license to West Virginia University.

Finn said it is “unclear” if Justice will sign the state budget bill. He expects the governor and lawmakers to negotiate a compromise on the state budget. A final decision on WVPB funding may be delayed until a special legislative session that will take place before July 1, he said. WVPB’s fiscal year begins July 1.

With state lawmakers agreeing on a $1 million cut, the pubcasting network has worked out a scenario to adjust for the loss of about 22 percent of its budget. The list of possible cuts includes layoffs of 20 of its 71 staffers (five of which would include not filling open positions); shutting down six TV translators; cutting local production, such as a planned documentary on the state’s Vietnam veterans; cancelling popular syndicated programs such as British comedies and dramas; reducing its TV master control hours; or losing local news bureaus.

With its state funding in jeopardy, support for WVPB has been strong, Finn said. He pointed to West Virginia House Finance Chairman Eric Nelson who said on the House floor, “I’m not sure if I’ve received more emails and calls than on this one particular line item. Unbelievable.”

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Here is an update for West Virginia.

It appears West Virginia Public Broadcasting chooses to cut programming and jobs to reach the $1 million loss. It is likely all they could do at the moment. This should be a wake up call to WV Public Broadcasting to develop a plan to find the money through Underwriting, grants and bolstering the efforts to obtain member donations. I always advocate, coming from radio, to push for self-sufficiency. That's not an overnight fix, but it does make one analyze your product to create the best case scenario in number of viewers and/or listeners.

Many times in public radio there is the noble cause of sometimes not doing the most popular thing because that thing needs the exposure. And sometimes, like the commercial side of radio, sales or funding is seen as the necessary evil that ideally would not have a place in the building. While I do not advocate giving no exposure to sometimes less popular programming, I do advocate a coordinating of the sales/funding side with programming to create the most favorable scenario for both programming and sales. Sales is, in my words, the gasoline in the engine of the incredible car programming has built. If the gas tank is empty, that beautiful vehicle just won't do what it is designed to do, which is to get you from point A to point B. This does not diminish programming (the car) because the car has to be able to run properly for the gas (sales) to get you from point A to point B. Both programming and sales are equal partners, both needing each other to succeed. And in mentioning sales as far as public radio is concerned, I'm talking listeners, grants and underwriting that funds it.

The tapering-off of support makes the most sense. I'm a proud lifelong West Virginian, and I'm wondering how we can't fund state expenditures much more equitably when we are on top of so much shale oil and gas. We have a governor, Jim Justice, who referred to legislators as 'baby snowflakes, who are taking a very hard line against his budget, which has yet to be passed, due to this impasse. I know we've had corruption virtually ever since the beginning of the state, and so much money is being spent due to our overwhelming opioid epidemic and other drug problems. It's so bad here that funeral directors no longer have funds to bury the victims of drug abuse, with that money having been exhausted weeks ago. I believe we'll never see coal rebound to much more than we have, as virtually everyone has switched from burning coal to natural gas. Again, my point...where is the money going? My fear is that this will be "Coal, part 2," where a few benefit, while the majority suffer.